I never understood why people so hated Nikki and Paulo. When I ask, people cite the couple’s sudden introduction. But those same people ask where Dr. Arzt was before he showed up? Furthermore, Lost is a show about 48 people starring 12 or so people. To care about athe survivors as a group worthy of rescue, one has to anticipate new characters stepping out from the herd, even if the sudden attention it usually a curse. On that same note, the other main generator of ire was the feeling Nikki and Paulo’s appearance came at the expense of the disappearance of Rose and Bernard.
It also seems Nikki and Paulo never had enough screen time to generate enough hate to get ride of them permanently. It is true, Nikki and Paolo’s first appearance is rather sudden, even by Lost standards, I admit. They appear in third episode of the 3rd season and Locke identifies them by name.[1] The next episode, Paulo lends Desmond a golf club.[2] Their longest appearance is in “The Cost of Living” when they accompany Locke back to the Pearle. After that, they appear briefly to argue over the cereal bars being gone,[3] Paulo appears just to tell the returned Sawyer that the castaways now share[4] and then “Expose” and they’re dead.
Nikki and Paulo are redshirts without being either comic relief or obvious canon-fodder. When Paulo lends Desmond the golf club, he tells Desmond to take one Paulo doesn’t use so that Paulo will not have to search for it after Desmond gets himself killed doing whatever he’s doing in the jungle.[5] When they go the Pearle, it is because Nikki wants to take the trip; Paulo argues with even though he had apparently complained about being left out.[6] We eventually discover that Paulo’s hesitancy to return to the Pearle is about hiding the diamonds from Nikki, but the two examples illustrate that it’s stressful being a redshirt. At the beginning of the third season, everyone is nervous and confused with Jack, Sawyer and Kate missing. Is it better to be left behind or to join the mission? Are those A-level missions brave or reckless? It doesn’t really matter since despite what Locke says later, Jack certainly did not run a democracy. The worst is to be denied a choice. Arzt was right; there was a clique and let’s face it, dude, it sucks to be left out.
[1] “Further Instructions”
[2] “Everyman for Himself”
[3] “Tricia Taneka is Dead”
[4] “Enter 77”
[5] “Everyman for Himself”
[6] “The Cost of Living”
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It's interesting, the idea of "the worst is to be denied a choice." Most of history would agree. Yet an interesting route is the problematic nature of too many choices, like how many people want to take the lead to help the rescue effort? Who will the others side with if there are too many choices? Could that be worse than no choice? Is that a different conflict, or another side of the main conflict?
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